LETTER: Austerity measures - managing but only just

Published:20:00Friday 17 March 2017

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As the Derbyshire County Council elections approach, members of the local Hayfield and New Mills Labour Party have been talking with local residents about their concerns and the impact the austerity measures are having on their lives. Issues have been varied and include: social care and the closure of a GP surgery in Hayfield; potholes, street lighting, crime – particularly car thefts, lack of police in the community, bedroom tax, social housing, the end of bus route 62, and areas of urban deterioration such as Hayfield bus station and New Mills central train station. Because of the heavy Tory Government cuts, many people recognise Derbyshire County Council is being forced into some very difficult decisions regarding local services but without a Labour majority, the next four years would see further massive cuts. For example the closure of virtually all our care homes. Derbyshire is still a great place to live and it is vital for us to join together and, with the support of the local Labour Party, protect the environment, our local services and the more vulnerable people in our community. As one resident said to me “Imagine if buses were used by the rich…. how different would our bus service be?” What sort of society do we currently live in where a failed ex-chancellor can earn more in a day than many of our local residents can earn in a year? We are the sixth wealthiest nation in the world, surely we should rise above wanting roads without pot holes. We should have a vision for how we want our society to be.